News

Final Evangelion Film Earns 9.997 Billion Yen After 4 Months

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time (Shin Evangelion Gekijō-ban :||), the "final" Evangelion film, surpassed 9.997 billion yen (about US$90.74 million) as of Sunday, its 126th day in the Japanese box office, and four months after its March 8 opening.

The film reached the 9 billion yen (about US$80 million) mark last month on June 14, and reached 9.32 billion yen (about US$84.86 million) as of June 20.

The film's new Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 version began playing on June 12 for the film's "last run." The new version contains "minor revisions" to some animation sequences, but does not change the film's story. Most theaters, but not all, will stop screening the film on July 21.

The film opened in Japan on March 8. The film ranked #1 in its opening weekend. The film sold 2,194,533 tickets for 3,338,422,400 yen (about US$30.6 million) in its first seven days in 466 theaters in Japan. The film sold 33.6% more tickets for 45.1% more yen than the previous Evangelion film during their respective first seven days. The film earned the equivalent of US$3.4 million in 38 IMAX theaters during its first seven days— the second-highest opening week for IMAX screenings of a domestic title in Japan, behind only last year's Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train. Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 also played in 82 theaters equipped for 4D screenings.

In its third week, the film surpassed the domestic earnings of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, which earned a total of 5.3 billion yen. The new film is now the highest-earning film in the series domestically and internationally.

The staff had delayed the film from January 23 to March 8, after careful consideration due to the new state of emergency declared in four prefectures in Japan on January 8, and then extended to a total of 11 prefectures. The film had an earlier delay due to concerns over COVID-19 and its spread inside and outside of Japan. The film was originally scheduled to open in Japan on June 27, 2020.

Update: Kogyo Tsushin's all-time ranking chart rounds box office numbers to the nearest 10 million yen. 9.997 billion yen rounds up to the nearest 10 million yen as "10 billion yen," even though the film has not actually reached that milestone as of Sunday.

Source: The Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web